


Glass Wings

by PseudonymousBitch



Category: Ed Edd n Eddy
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Entomology, F/M, Not Beta Read, Rating May Change, Social Anxiety, so if there are any errors i'm sorry, tags may also be added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-14 13:34:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18477280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PseudonymousBitch/pseuds/PseudonymousBitch
Summary: There you were, the new girl at Peach Creek University. Standing alone in a room full of people at a party you didn't really want to be at. PCU wasn’t quite small enough for “new girl” to really mean anything to anyone, but it wasn’t big enough for there to be several new kids for you to join in and feel awkward with. At the very least, there weren’t many people here who seemed just as uncomfortable as you.And that’s when you noticed him: your awkward kindred spirit.(Double D x Reader, college AU)





	1. [Reader] The Party

**Author's Note:**

> my first fanfic on ao3 and it's ed edd n eddy self-insert reader fic. lol. 
> 
> anyway, enjoy. lemme know if anything seems super janky.

Parties were definitely not your thing.

The only reason you were here today was because your friend from orchestra, Nazz, had insisted on it. “It’ll be a great time,” she had told you. “You’ll get to meet all of the cool kids.”

You were not originally from Peach Creek, although you lived in the same state. You had received a full scholarship to Peach Creek University – a private college several hours away from your hometown – due to your skills on the piano. Your scholarship required you to participate in the school’s orchestra. Nazz, the lead violinist, picked you out from the crowd on the first day, insisting that you were the only face in the room that she didn’t recognize and promising to show you around the place and introduce you to “the cool kids.” 

Well, here you were, alone in a room full of these so-called “cool kids”. Nazz had wandered off earlier, saying that she’d recognized someone and that she just wanted to say hi. She’d been gone for about half an hour at this point, and you noticed her on the other side of the room, flirting with some guy. You figured she was gone for the night. You’d managed to survive this long without her by sticking close to the edge of the crowd, browsing your various social media timelines and dancing around to the music when necessary.

It wasn’t that you were socially awkward, you just felt like such an outsider (and social anxiety certainly wasn't helping). You knew that most of these kids knew one another – quite a few of them had known each another all their lives – and here you were: the new girl. PCU wasn’t quite small enough for “new girl” to really mean anything to anyone, but it wasn’t big enough for there to be several new kids for you to join in and feel awkward with. At the very least, there weren’t many people here who seemed just as uncomfortable as you.

So, there you were. An outsider. All alone.

And that’s when you noticed him: your awkward kindred spirit. He was tall, maybe six feet or so, wearing a black beanie and a red sweater-vest. He was holding a solo cup in one hand and rubbing at the back of his neck with the other, pressed against the wall and glancing around nervously. This guy looked the way you were feeling, and so you made your way towards him. After all, had the situations been reversed, you would have appreciated someone approaching you to help you feel more comfortable.

He looked up when he noticed you coming towards him, eyes wide and the corners of his mouth twitching. He looked back down – probably trying to play it cool – and took a sip from his drink. However, when you leaned against the wall next to him, he couldn’t help but stare at you out of the corners of his eyes. You took this opportunity to stare back and get a better look at him.

He wasn’t quite six feet tall, maybe closer to 5’10”; he was rather slender, though, which made him seem taller from a distance. He wore a red sweater vest over a dress shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, complete with a striped tie. It was strange attire for what Nazz said would be a total rager. His beanie was black with two white stripes on each side. It slouched down over his eyebrows, casting a shadow over his eyes and giving him an ominous facial expression. It also made it hard to tell what color his eyes were, although you did notice that his staring had intensified; he had definitely noticed you checking him out. 

“I’m not gonna bite, you know,” you said, and he flinched. “You look terrified. Are you alright?”

“Oh, ah, yes, I’m-… I’m fine,” he stuttered, and you couldn’t help but let out a little giggle.

“You seriously look like you’re going to pass out.”

The boy sighed wearily. “No, not quite, I’m just… overwhelmed, I suppose.”

“Yeah, me too. Parties suck.”

“Agreed… but if you don’t like parties, how come you’re here?” he asked, and then blushed. “I, well, I don’t mean that in a rude way, I’m not trying to insinuate that-,”

You interrupted him with a small laugh. “I got you, don’t worry. My friend wanted me to come. I’m kinda new to Peach Creek, I guess, and she said it would be a great opportunity to get to know everyone… But everyone’s so… familiar with one another! It’s hard to approach them.” You shrugged. “What about you?”

“Well, I’m a roommate of the people responsible for this get-together. My… presence was requested.” He looked down at his drink, suddenly very interested in it. He swirled the cup around a few times. “It’s kind of funny; I don’t even drink. This is apple juice.” 

You giggled. “Apple juice, huh? Don’t party too hard, guy.”

He laughed as well, although his laughter was far more tense and awkward. “No worries. I will not.”

“Hey, but if this is your dorm… Well, if you don’t want to be out here, have you considered locking yourself in your room or something like that?”

He shrugged. “It’s a bit complicated. I made a promise to my roommate that I would socialize tonight, and I don’t think he’d be too keen on holding up his end of the deal if I did something like that.”

You thought for a moment. “Couldn’t you just tell him you were hooking up with someone?”

Suddenly, he blushed. “Well, I,” he looked around the room uncomfortably. “You see, erm…”

You grinned. “I can pretend to be your one-night stand, and we could go hide in your room. It would get us both outta here.”

The boy swallowed thickly, glancing around the room. “I don’t know if…”

Suddenly, you both heard a loud crash, followed by cheering and laughter. Someone yelled, “oh shit, Johnny’s doing a keg stand!”

You and the boy both looked at one another. He had a wild, frightened look in his eyes, as if keg stands were his mortal enemy.

“Oh my,” he whispered nervously, after a short silence. “My room is this way,” and he started down the hall. You followed close behind.

He stopped at the second room on the right and produced a key from his pocket, unlocking the door in a swift motion. He held the door open for you, and you stepped in. You realized that you were getting nervous; what have you gotten yourself into? You practically invited yourself into some incredibly awkward, frightened guy’s room. You felt very rude all of a sudden.

As soon as you were in there, he shut the door behind you and locked it. He pressed his head against his door for a moment, although whether he was resting or listening for someone you couldn’t tell. He then straightened himself back up, turned around to face you, and flipped on the light switch. 

“Well, here we are. My room. I would appreciate you not touching anything without permission, please.”


	2. [Double D] The Evening Of

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is written from edd's perspective.

_Stressful, stressful, stressful._

Double D stood in front of the door to his dorm, hoping that his roommates weren’t home yet. He only got a few sweet hours a day to enjoy privacy – and silence – before Kevin would return from his part-time job at the bike shop and Eddy would come home from his class.

He inserted the key into the lock, tapping his foot impatiently. He jiggled it a couple of times, wondering why the lock wasn’t clicking, when it dawned on him. Great, he thought, the lock’s jammed. He let out a great sigh of irritation and looked around the hall before grabbing the handle and jiggling it with as much force as he could muster. He kicked at the bottom rail, pounded his fist against the flimsy wood, and let out a few, “Curses!” and a, “This blasted door!” or two. Eventually, he tried inserting the key again. Double D internally berated himself when the lock clicked and the door opened, realizing he’d put the key in upside-down the first time.

 _This day has been entirely too much,_ he thought.

He entered the dorm, tossed his book-bag onto the couch, and peeked around to ensure that he was alone. When he realized the place was empty, he sat down next to his bag and pulled out his text book – _Fundamentals of Physics 101_ – and thermos of tea. His physics professor had assigned an incredibly long and arduous assignment that day, and although it wasn’t due until next Friday, Double D wanted to get it over with. He’d barely opened his text book and taken a sip of his tea when the door swung open violently, banging against the wall.

In marched Eddy, loudly chattering away to Kevin about something something Nazz something party. Kevin snorted and responded with a quip that Double D missed, but Eddy seemed to be absolutely tickled pink by. Double D tried to return to his studies, but Eddy had said something that sent Kevin off into a fit of laughter, which in turn made Eddy cackle.

_Noisy, noisy, noisy._

“Excuse me,” Double D began, “would you two mind keeping it down? Some of us would like to _graduate_.” Perhaps there was more venom in his voice than he had intended, but he was not particularly in the mood to concern himself with the hurt feelings of his two _incredibly loud_ roommates.

“Geez, what’s gotten into you, Double D?” Eddy said. Kevin just laughed.

Eddy had bulked up quite a bit since middle school. Growth spurts and joining the high school football team tended to do that to a person. He now stood close to six-and-a-half feet tall, and was, in most respects, physically imposing. Kevin had turned out similarly, measuring up at just a few inches shorter than Eddy but quite a bit more muscular. All in all, the two of them would have intimidated Double D quite a bit, had he not known them as long as he did.

Double D sighed. “Well, if you must know, my physics professor assigned us a rather lo-,”

“ _Boooo-ring!_ ” Eddy hollered. “Come on, Double D, we have all weekend for that stuff!”

“Yeah, man, have you ever tried lightening up?” Kevin chimed in, and Eddy laughed.

“I mean, _seriously_ , Sockhead! We’re having a party tonight, and all you can think about is homework?”

Double D felt his stomach sink. He had forgotten all about that. He must have made a face, because Eddy and Kevin started laughing again. He heard them saying something, but he couldn’t focus on what. _How am I supposed to finish all of this now?_

Double D suddenly stood up, throwing his book back into his bag and slinging it over his shoulders. He picked up his thermos and made his way into his room, ignoring Eddy and Kevin’s almost certainly derisive remarks that they’d yelled down the hall to him.

He slammed the door shut and cracked open his text book on his desk. He stared down at it, seeing the words on the pages but being entirely too overwhelmed to process what they said. He rubbed his eyes, sighing. He knew that getting worked up over some party – some _disruptive, disorderly, distracting, disconcerting_ party – wasn’t going to help him to finish his homework, but he couldn’t help it.

He laid his head down on his text book, feeling the cool and glossy pages against his cheek. He noticed that he was feeling flushed from stress. Quite frankly, he didn’t know what to do. Perhaps he’d just take a nap, right here on his homework.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. Double D jolted up from his book in time to see his bedroom door swing open. There stood Eddy, already leaning against the doorframe with a smug smile plastered on his face.

“Can I help you, Eddy?” Double D sighed, resting his head on his hand.

“Double D, I worry about you, man.” Eddy stuck out his lip in mock-concern. Double D knew that deep down, Eddy was laughing at him. “You don’t ever go out any more. I mean, have you even kissed a girl since you and Marie broke up?” he snorted.

Double D sighed. “Is that really any of your business?”

“Uh, you’re my roommate. Obviously it’s my business. Come on, Double D. Kev’s party will be the perfect opportunity to, you know,” Eddy snickered and made an obscene gesture with his hands, “rather than,” he went to make a second obscene gesture when Double D held up his own hands in protest.

“Eddy, I have a lot of homework to do. Why, just today, my physics professor assigned-,”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, Double Dork.” Eddy chuckled again, recalling Kevin’s favorite nickname for Double D as a kid. “Listen, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll leave you alone for the whole weekend, I mean, the _whole entire_ weekend, if,” he said, grinning, “you come to this party tonight. And I mean, stay for the whole thing. Talk to some people. Doesn’t count if you act like a wimpy little wallflower the whole time.”

Double D squinted at Eddy. “The whole weekend, you say?”

Double D rarely ever got a few hours of peace in this place, let alone a full weekend. He had to admit, the offer was somewhat tempting.

“Oh yeah, the whole weekend. Me and Kevin can go crash at Ed’s,” Eddy said, pulling a face. “And you know how bad Ed’s place is. These are the sacrifices I’m willing to make for you and your well-being, D.”

Double D knew that, realistically, he didn’t have much of a choice. Even if he said no, that party would be too loud for him to concentrate anyway. All his friends – well, his friends outside of Eddy, anyway – were either coming over for the party or were indisposed for the night, so going elsewhere to study wasn’t an option.

So Double D made a choice that he knew he would end up regretting.

“Okay. Okay, fine, I’ll go, just… give me some time to myself beforehand, please?”

Eddy grinned. “Of course, Double D! I’ll see you in a few hours, you party animal,” he said sardonically. He turned around and left, slamming the door behind him. Down the hall, Double D heard Eddy shout, “hey Kevin! Guess what I just got Sockhead to agree to?!” followed by a cacophony of laughter.

Double D laid his head back down on his text book, dread and anxiety bubbling in his stomach. He knew that he wasn’t going to be able to study like this, not even if he wanted to. Parties were definitely not his thing.


	3. [Reader] Double D's Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter returns to the reader's perspective.

“Well, here we are. My room. I would appreciate you not touching anything without permission, please.”

You nodded sheepishly. “Can I sit down?”

He pulled the desk chair out from under his desk and gestured to it. You sat down, and he made his way over to his bed, onto which he promptly faceplanted. His legs dangled awkwardly as he laid there, unmoving.

“Uh, are you okay?”

“’mf mmfft offvmffmft,” he mumbled, face still buried in his comforter.

“Sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

He turned his head to the side. “I just need a moment to collect my thoughts, please.” He closed his eyes and turned his face back onto the bed.

You took this moment to look around from where you sat. You still felt bad for imposing on him like this, but your curiosity currently surpassed your anxiety.

The first thing you noticed was that there were labels on everything. The headboard of his bed read “sack”. His desk, “desk.” His bookshelf was labelled, the closet door was labelled… everything had a label on it. It was… honestly kind of adorable.

The room itself was very clean and pristine. The desk was made of a pale wood, polished and clean, and you could slightly make out your reflection in it. The bookshelf, from what you could make out, seemed to be organized alphabetically. There were a few small pots of plants meticulously arranged on the windowsill near the bed. There were no books scattered around, no trash, no dirty laundry – nothing. If you didn’t know any better, you would have taken this place for an uninhabited model bedroom used for showing off the dorms to potential students.

However, you noticed something that proved this room belonged to someone. Mounted on the wall in various places were several shadow boxes filled with taxidermy bugs. The one closest to you – the one hung over the desk – contained several colorful species of butterflies, labelled “Butterflies of the Amazon”. _m. peleides_ and _m. rhetenor,_ both a brilliant blue. _m. uraneis,_ a pale white. Perhaps the most striking one, though, was a butterfly whose wings were almost completely see-through: _g. oto._ You smiled to yourself; whoever this guy was, he collected butterflies, and that was utterly adorable.

The boy shifted suddenly, and you looked towards him. He pulled himself onto his bed and sat up, looking at you. “I apologize,” he declared. “I was feeling a bit… overwhelmed, I suppose you could say. I sometimes struggle with social situations, especially with today being as stressful as it was, and I… well, it’s nice to take a moment to stop and breathe. I hope I didn’t make you feel uncomfortable.”

You nodded understandingly. “Yeah, I’ve been there before. Glad you’re feeling better.”

He smiled awkwardly, unsure of what to say in response.

You began to rack your brain with what to say in order to avoid silence when you made a sudden realization. “Hey, I never got your name,” you said.

“Oh! My name’s Eddward, spelled with two D’s. Most people just call me Edd, though. People familiar with my roommate call me Double D.”

“Nice to meet you, Eddward with two D’s. I’m ____. Do you have a preference between Edd or Double D?”

The boy – Eddward – shrugged. “Either is fine.”

“Well, I’ve never met your roommate, but Double D is adorable, so I think I’m gonna call you that. Is that okay?”

He reddened. “Y-yes, that’s fine,” he stuttered, chuckling nervously. He suddenly coughed and looked around.

 _He should not be this cute – it’s not fair,_ you thought.

However, sensing that Double D was feeling a bit awkward, you began looking around as well, searching for something to talk about. “So, can I ask about the bugs on the wall?”

Double D perked up. “Ah, yes, my insect collection! I’ve been collecting them since I was a kid,” he says excitedly, standing up. He walks over to the wall opposite the bed and points to a shadow box containing several beetles in varying colors and shapes. “In fact, I’ve had this particular collection since I was six. These are beetles from the family _scutelleridae,_ most commonly known as jewel bugs. They thrive in a temperate deciduous environment, although in recent times many species have invaded more urban environments. This one,” he pointed to an iridescent black-and-red beetle labelled _g. aulicus_ , “is one of my favorites. _Graptocoris aulicus_ , a species of shield-backed bug from Africa.” He carried on, describing the various beetles to you and their significance to the environment. As adorable as it was, you had kind of tuned out.

“…And over there is one of my personal favorites.” He pointed to the shadow box of butterflies that you’d examined earlier, making his way towards you. “Do you see the one in the center? The one with the translucent wings?”

You nodded.

“It’s known as _Greta oto,_ or the glasswing butterfly. It’s one of the most beautiful butterflies in South America, in my humble opinion. While most butterflies adopted vivid color schemes and lively patterns to ward off predators, the glasswing butterfly prefers to camouflage itself by remaining transparent. Transparency in organisms isn’t very well understood, as in order to be transparent, the tissue can neither absorb nor refract light, meaning…”

 _Wow. This guy talks a lot,_ you note. _Well, at least that means there won’t be any awkward silences._

Suddenly, Double D went quiet. You noticed he was blushing. “Sorry, was I rambling?”

“Just a bit,” you admitted, “but that’s okay.” You smiled at him, hoping he wouldn’t feel bad for his tangent. “Bugs are pretty cool, when they’re not flying around my face.”

Double D chuckled. “Agreed! Why, I remember when I was younger – middle school, I think it was – my friend accidentally swallowed one! It got caught in his throat and he couldn’t speak!” He began to laugh, and you laughed along with him.

However, your collective laughing came to a halt when someone banged on the door.

“Hey, Sockhead! What are you doin’ in there? Did you give up and lock yourself in your room like a hermit?”

Double D’s face fell, and he looked at you expectantly. You looked back at him, eyes wide, and he swallowed thickly, thinking about what to say. You realized that you owed it to the man to save him from this awkward confrontation, so you looked at him and mouthed two words: _‘play along.’_

You mentally prepared yourself for what you were about to do. “Oh, Double D,” you said in your most seductive voice. “Why don’t we… make like your name, and go for round two?” You internally chastised yourself for laying it on as thickly as you did.

He stared at you for a moment, seemingly confused. However, when he recognized the double entendre you had made, his face flushed. He shook his head after a moment and cleared his throat. “Ah, Eddy, I’m a bit…” he faltered.

You, recognizing Double D’s inability to articulate himself just now, began making small kissing noises to fill the silence.

Double D suddenly chuckled, probably at the strange noises you were making. “I’m a bit busy,” he began again, “do you think you could come back later, perhaps?”

Not the world’s greatest improv, but it would do.

“Whoa, Double D, are you hooking up in there?” the voice on the other side of the door asked. “I’m proud of you, man! Didn’t know you had that in ya!” the voice cackled. “I’ll see you around, _playboy._ ” You heard footsteps, indicating that whoever that was had left.

The two of you sat and looked at one another for a moment before the sheer awkwardness of the situation made you burst out in laughter. Double D followed suit, chuckling with his hand covering his mouth.

“You’re not a bad actress, ____,” Double D said.

“Thanks, Double D. Maybe I’ll have to teach you sometime,” you said, winking. However, the moment he blushed, you remembered just exactly _what_ you had been acting out and realized that you may have just accidentally flirted with the poor guy. Whoops.

“Anyway,” you said, checking your phone. “It’s getting pretty late; I should probably head out soon. Sounds like the party’s winding down, anyway.”

Double D nodded timidly. It seemed as though he hadn’t quite recovered from your accidental flirting yet.

“Oh, hey, before I leave, though… could I actually get your number?” you request.

He nodded again, and you handed him your phone. One text later, and the two of you had exchanged numbers.

“I had fun, Double D. Next time your roommate throws a party, we should hang,” you say, grinning. “Oh, wait, one final thing…”

“Is something wrong?”

“Wrong? What? No. Just… Well, I don’t want your roommate to get the wrong idea,” you said, and began to mess up your hair.

“W-what are you doing, ____?”

“We’re ‘hooking up’, right?” you ask. “It wouldn’t look like we hooked up if I wasn’t a little bit mussed up.” You stood up and fiddled with your shirt and pants, adjusting them so that they looked as though they had been thrown on in a haste. “How do I look?”

Double D looked like he was suppressing a shudder. “Messy.”

You smiled. “That’s the plan.”

The two of you said your goodbyes and you left Double D’s room. You headed towards the dorm’s door, noticing that several people had left… and out of the few that remained, most were passed out. You were stepping over a group of people asleep in a pile when you noticed two guys staring at you. Both were incredibly tall and muscular, although the shorter of the two seemed to be the buffer one. They were talking to each other, and you could have sworn that the tall one pointed at you, but you decided to pay it no mind and made your way back to your dorm as quickly as possible.


End file.
